24/2/43 -
 No, 9




 REPAIR OF STIRRUP PUMPS




 The Ministry of Home Security has issued to local authorities a



scheme for the of which has been devised
 repair locally stirrup pumps,
 in order that all be for immediate
chiefly pumps may kept ready use,
and that
 complete replacement involving new production can be avoided

as far as possible.


 Under the scheme all local authorities, except the county councils

in England and Wales, will undertake the repair of in the hands
 pumps
of private individuals firms which the wish to have
 or owners repaired,
as well as those used by the authority itself. The county councils

will be
 responsible only for the repair of
 pumps which they have pur-

chased, either to protect their for civil defence and
 own
 buildings, or


police services.



 The Ministry of Home Security has also asked the local authorities

to it with details of which focal
 supply pumps are beyond repair so


that the possibility of central repair can be examined.



 The Ministry's circular lays special emphasis the of
 on
 necessity
 hose in the last resort because of the of
replacing only shortage
rubber. Existing hose must be
 repaired to the limit, even though it

involves considerable shortening. Detailed instructions are given for

the protection of spare hose end hose already fitted to
 pumps from the

effect of sunlight, heat and frost.




MINISTRY OF HOME SECURITY
 24/2/43 ~
 No« 12




 DUTY FREE CONCESSION FOR GIFTS SENT TO THE




 UNITED KINGDOM BY MEMBERS OF H.M. FORCES OVERSEAS




 A concession whereby all ranks of H.M. Forces serving Overseas

will be permitted to send to the United Kingdom four duty-free

parcels will become operative the requisite arrange-
 a
 year as soon as


ments are completed at Overseas Stations,



 Such parcels must not weigh more than 5 lbs., including packing,
or exceed 30 shillings in value, or contain.




 (a) Drinkable spirits



 (b) More than half-pound of
 tobacco, including cigars and

 cigarettes (200 cigarettes or 50 cigars weigh about

 ■y lb.) or any tobacco marked "H.M, Ships Only",


 (c) more than half a
 pint of scent.




 (d) more than 2 lbs* of any one foodstuff.




 A special Customs Delcaration label is being issued to units for

the which will allow of free of the into this
 purpose, entry parcels
country and dispense with the necessity of an import licence,
 examination the contents do not contravene the above
provided on


restrictions.



 The introduction of these duty free concession will not
 parcels
affect the despatch of other gift the
 parcels upon which, however,
recipients in the United will be to the full
 Kingdom required pay
Customs Duty as hitherto.




WAR OFFICE
 24/2/43 -
 No» 15


 SIMPLIFIED ARMy PAY




 A of the Soldiers’ being circulated, which
 new print Army pay book is
will contain a concise printed statement showing the pay of all soldiers

below the rank of serjeant whether they are tradesmen or not, or whatever

the of their service.
 length


 This is part of a
 comprehensive scheme for the
 simplification of
 Army

pay, which was mentioned by Sir James Grigg in the House of Commons on



January 19 and put into operation on January 30, 1943.



 The pay of soldiers, other than tradesmen and below the rank of

 has hitherto been made of basic increments and
serjeant, up pay, war pay,

various forms of proficiency each governed by different rules. Under
 pay,
the new scheme, those sums are consolidated, and every private, or equiv-

alent, will be placed by his Commanding Officer in one of three classes for


 according to his military efficiency and service; Increases' for
pay, ser-


vice will be made to date" recorded in
 automatic, being according a ’’pay
the that the soldier will know when his next increase
 pay book, so exactly
is due. The rates of and
 proficiency pay of N,C.O’s below the
 pay, war
 pay
rank of have also been proficiency being included
 serjeant consolidated, pay

in the rate of in recognition of the fact
 on
 promotion irrespective service,
that selection for the attainment of the
 promotion implies required
 The of warrant Officers and N.C.O's of the rank of
proficiency. pay

serjeant and above have also been consolidated inclusion of
 by war
 pay*



 A in the of tradesmen has been effected
 simplification pay by reducing
the number of trade from five to E. eliminated.
 groups four, Group being
With the exception of four trades in E, all others will be
 upgraded
 Group
to
 Group D, and the tradesmen concerned will be automatically transferred, to

Group D, and paid at the higher rates witnout
 re-testing. Soldiers' mustered

in the four trades which have been abolished will be given six months to

qualify for
 higher ■ trades ; in the meantime they will retain their present
rates of pay.



 The scheme has involved certain amendments in but in
 new
 pay rates,
every case these have been to the advantage of the soldier concerned.

Designed to make it more easy for the soldier to understand his exact

 the
settlement, plan also eases the administrative burdens of Commanding
 the
Officers, simplifies compilation of
 pay accounts -and lessens the work

of pay Offices,



WAR OFFICE
 23/2/43 “

 No. 16,



 Air Ministry News Service Air Ministry Bulletin No. 9



 AIR VICE-MARSHAĹ A



 Assistant Section Officer Broadhurst, wife of Air Vice Marshal

 H» Broadhurst (whose appointment as commander of the Allied Air Forces in the

 Western Desert has just Been announced) is serving at a Fighter Command station*



 Mrs. Broadhurst joined the W.A.A.F. as an aircraftwoman nearly two
 years

 ago,
 after working as a civilian on code and cypher duties*



 There are two children, who are at a boarding school.




'IE
 T
 S
 U
 H
 D
 O
 R
 B
 F
 .A
 W
 24/2/43 -


 No. 22.




 NOTE ON DIVE BOMBERS




 Contrary to what is asserted German faith in the dive-Bomber
 frequently
 to be At the time of the Battle of Britain the German first
appears waning.
 of 87s Stukas which is the of dive-bomber
line
 strength Ju, or
 -
 only type
which the German Air Force has ever possessed -
 was well over 500. Today there

is good reason to believe that it is of the Order of 300.


 ■ air forces with attack units".
 Today our are
 increasingly meeting "ground
These "schlacht" units, consist of fighter-bombers
 as
 they are called,
 similar to The all their
essentially our own fighter-bombers. Germans employ
.well known types of single engine fighters., for instance Messerschmitts 109E,

F, and G, and Focke-Wulfs 190, in these units. The extent to which they rely
 then is shown by the fact that at least 80 cent of all the army support
upon per

work done by the in retreat from Alanein to
 G.A.F. connection with Rommel’s long
Castel Benito was performed by these single engine fighter types.


 The tendency for the G.A.F, to rely decreasingly on Ju. 87s and increasingly
 the above "schlacht" with fighter-bombers, is shown by the
on
 units, equipped
fact that since the autumn of 1940 the production of Ju, 87s has been allowed

to decline. Certain of 87s have been .allowed to 'out of existence
 squadrons Ju. go

altogether and have disappeared from the. order of battle f the G.A.F,


 Cur information is that in the recent German offensive in Southern Tunisia

the following sorties were made. On the first day some sixty dive-bomber sorties

and some sixty fighter-bomber sorties: on the second and subsequent days few,
if dive-bomber sorties but number of fighter-bomber sorties. There
 any, a
 large
 about 50 Ju. 87s in Tunisia and of these at the
are
 today some
 forty were -present
recent battle in Southern Tunisia.



 The continuing misreports of the. presence of important forces of Ju. 87s in

 the Mediterranean theatre and of their supposed attacks on Allied troops may be

attributed to several factors of which one is difficulties of recognition,
especially the of inexperienced occasions later evidence
 on
 part troops. On many

had led to the identification of
 aircraft, which were at first supposed to be

dive-bombers, fighter-bombers. For the recent Southern Tunisian
 as
 example,in
battle know that of the attacks to have been
 we now
 many originally thought
carried out by Stukas in fact the 'work of Another
 were
 fighter-bombers. example
of this identification is afforded attacks
 erroneous
 by reports of on our own


South Coast. These dive-bomber
 are-frequently reported as attacks: they are


invariably carried out fighter-bombers, however.
 by


 The causes of the recent Allied reverse in Southern Tunisia are to be found

in the ability of the enemy to concentrate superior forces, not merely and not

principally of dive-bombers but of aircraft of all kinds (and indeed of ground
forces) at the particular time and
 place chosen by him for the battle. The

 Air Force in Tunisia has been doubled, rising from 150 to
German approximately
500 by the transference to that in
 province of the air forces formerly
Tripolitanla (the thing holds true to extent of his ground forces).
 same a
 large
For short it not for the 8th and the air force
 a
 period was
 possible Army working
with it to reach the of battle. the entire of the combined
 scene Hence weight
enemy forces could be thrown against the Allied forces available in Tunisia,


 In conclusion it is clean that the has suffered
 now G.A.F, prodigious
losses when it used 87s
 Ju, intensively.




AIR AFFAIRS
 24/2/43 -
 No, 29




 RETURNS OF POTATO STOCKS




 Potato growers
 who have not
 yet completed and returned the

form, stocks farms at the week end 13 14,
 showing on as
 February -




 asked to do This information is urgently
are so immediately.
needed; much of its value is lost if returns are not made promptly#




MINISTRY OF FOOD
 24/2/43 -
 No, 30




 NOT FOR OR USE ON CLUB TAPES
 PUBLICATION, BROADCAST,
 BEFORE 00,30 B.S.T . (i.e, FOR MORNING PAPERS) ON


 THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 23, 1943

 THIS EMBARGO SHOULD BE RESPECTED OVERSEAS BY PREFACING

 ANY MESSAGES FILED WITH THE EMBARGO




 PRESS NOTICE




 The Ministry of Home Security announces that the ban on pleasure
visits to the coastal areas between the Wash and the Thames and between

Hastings and Littlehampton and to the Isle of Right, which was suspended
until 1st March will remain suspended until 1st April.


 The ban on pleasure visits remains in force in the following areas




(i) In the whole of Kent except


 (a) Those parts within the Metropolitan police District;


 (b) the boroughs of Dartford, Gravesend, Maidstone and

 Tunbridge Wells;

 (c) the urban districts of
 Northfleet, Orpington,

 Sevenoaks, Scuthborough, Swanscombe and Tonbridge;

 (d) the rural districts of
 Cranbrook, Dartford, Hollingbourne,
 Sevenoaks and and parts of
 Maidstone, Mailing, Tonbridge
 the rural districts of Strood, Tenterden and Rest

 Ashford; and




(2) That part of Sussex east of Hastings and extending northwards to

 the Kent
 boundary.


 Information whether is still subject to the ban
 any particular place
 visits obtained from main stations
on may be notices displayed on railway
 from the police bus offices.
or or enquiry

 The travel still applies to the
 general injunction against unnecessary
areas to which visits are allowed and no additional transport facilities

will be available.


 The restrictions the of residence remain in force both
 on
 taking up

in the in ‘which the ban visits and in those where
 areas on is suspended
it still applies.




MINISTRY OF HOME SECURITY